Contrast of the Mad Mind and the Civil Human
by Kid Canter Greatly
Summary: When Emma is mistaken for "Alice" in a dream, she ends up in "Wonderland", a land of wonder and madness. The reality of the situation is, though, that since she's stepped into this land she has become a fugitive, and is now putting everybody she comes in contact with in danger. A tale of romance, murder, and betrayal awaits as we step into the mind of the girl in Wonderland.
1. Chapter 1: The White Rabbit

_**There was a moment where time froze, and when the clocks started ticking again, Alice was gone. The court stood still for a moment, all involved looked to each other, completely confused. **_

_**The Queen of Hearts, dazed, screamed, hitting her husband with her scepter. "Where… Where is she? Find her! Find her now!"**_

_**The card soldiers scattered, spears in hand, falling all over themselves, confusing the court and jury. They're fear and scrambling caused a rush of red and white among the crowd.**_

_**In a flash, the jury bolted, trying to avoid the queen's wrath as she fumed about the missing girl.**_

"_**I want her found," the queen howled, "Find her or you'll all suffer the consequences!"**_

_**With that, she was alone, and all in Underland were terrified, but all had one thing on their mind. Find Alice.**_

* * *

Dead tired, Emma slid down her bathroom wall, her body sore and aching. She didn't want to get up. She didn't want to wake up in the morning. She didn't want to go to callbacks tomorrow. She just wanted to sleep for the rest of her life.

Theater auditions were killing her. She didn't even want a part, but she didn't have a choice. The smiling portrait of her parents, the "actors" of their generation, stared daggers at her. She was the natural prodigy. She was the one destined to the stage, to a life of glory and fame.

But all of it was slowly killing her. The constant practice, the dance lessons followed by voice coaching. The bouts of binging and fasting for parts, and the complete lack of communication with anybody outside of the theater circle. That is what killed her.

Standing, Emma saw her journal on her bed, the document that contained all of her thoughts and actions, and decided to ignore her pills for the night, not entirely sure what would happen if she didn't take the,.

At least she would have something to write about.

The gel pen gliding across the yellow page gave her a little comfort, knowing it was the only place for any feeling or thought could be voiced, and she felt much better, though she did feel herself falling asleep slowly as she wrote.

With a startling crash, Emma awoke and bolted up, looking about her room. Her heart raced, unsure of what would cause such a sound in her tiny bedroom.

She got out of bed, grabbing her quilt and wrapped it around her shoulders. She didn't know how to react when her bedroom was in perfect order, until there was another noise, a smaller one coming from her closet.

This wasn't a situation Emma thought she would ever find herself in. She stared at the closet door, terrified of what she would find in there. She knew she shouldn't open it, and that she should run to her parents bedroom down the short hall or at least call the police with her cell phone, but for whatever reason, she couldn't. Instead she slowly stepped towards the barrier between her and whatever laid behind that door, and the fear in her heart grew with every footfall.

Being compulsive wasn't usually in her nature, but there was something, far in the back of her mind, that told her she had nothing to worry about. She was relying on this part of her brain. She was hoping that her ignorance wouldn't be the cause of her death.

With a slow turn of the doorknob, Emma flung it open, and she would have never guess what was behind this door.

About a head taller than her, a man with white hair stood, who looked even more frightened than her. In any other situation, Emma would have been mortified, but the fact that he had two, long white rabbit ears brushing against her ceiling caused her to be a little more confused than afraid.

"Alice…" the man murmured, "Oh my… Alice!" He lunged at her, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "Oh, I've been looking for you everywhere."

Emma, in complete confusion stood there for a moment, trying to analyze what the rabbit man from her closet was saying. Alice? Who was Alice? Why was he calling her Alice?

"You must have the wrong person-" Emma began, but was quickly interrupted.

"You've been gone for so long, I doubt you even remember me anymore. Time passes so quickly here." He looked at her, a smile on his pale face. "My name is Wilbur, remember? I'm your best friend."

A man, over six feet tall with rabbit ears was calling himself her best friend. In that moment, Emma realized why she took the pills she did. They kept away the strange dreams, which she was caught in right now.

"I'm not Alice, sir, my name is Emma."

Wilbur, if that was really the illusion's name, knitted his eyebrows together, unsure of what she said. "But you are Alice, I know it. Your hair is Alice, your eyes are Alice… Even that scar on your nose is Alice!"

A little concerned that the scar she was trying to hide for years was a little obvious now, covered her nose for a moment. Anybody could say something like that, couldn't they? But, since it is a dream, she could play along, be Alice for the time being…

"If I am Alice, and I admit to you that you are my best friend, what will you do?"

"Take you back with me, of course! We all miss you so much!" Wilbur took a step back from her, nodding as he spoke. "It's been so dull without you, and I can't stand to leave you here again. I've missed you so, so much."

"Take me where?"

"To Underland, or, Wonderland, as you kept affectionately calling it. Oh Alice, please come with me." He grabbed her hands. "It would would mean so much to me if you did. I promise, nothing bad will happen."

That statement made Emma step back a bit. What kind of dream was this playing out to be? Would something bad happen to her? It's not that it was a concern of hers, as it was a dream, but she had the strangest feeling she shouldn't follow this Wilbur character.

"You'll protect me?"

"Of course!" Wilbur laughed, "I will protect you with my own life."

After a couple of seconds of debating, Emma nodded, "Alright. We'll go."

Wilbur pulled her into to hug her again, "Oh how brilliant! Thank you, Alice! It will be so nice to have you back." He grabbed her hand, leading her over to the full length mirror on the wall. "We must go! We're so late, so, so late!"

"What are we-"

"Come on!" Wilbur smiled, putting his hand toward the glass. To Emma's amusement, it did go through. They were going through the mirror, the looking glass her grandfather called it, to whatever strange world Emma's lack-of-drug mind was creating.

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you for stopping by! It's truly an honor. This is my first actual writing relating to Alice in Wonderland that isn't completely sappy, so I've decided to upload it in hopes that somebody will enjoy it. I'm still debating between a few plot points, so the story isn't completely concrete, so if anybody is interested, it would be great if somebody would comment on something they'd like to happen, preferably by Private Message. Also, I write relativity short chapters, so unfortunately it's going to either progress very slowly or very quickly. It all depends on how I feel about writing it. Please leave constructive criticism, as it can only be beneficial, or just a nice review if you'd like! Thank you again!


	2. Chapter 2: The Cheshire Cat

To Emma's Amusement, there wasn't the reflection of her bedroom on the other side of the mirror. Rather, a large forest, where the flowers bloomed to unimaginable sizes. Her imagination must a wild one to create this, causing the debate whether or not to ignore her prescription was such a terrible idea after all.

The surprising conformation of a dream realm was a fascinating one. She had worked on sets much like this one before, which may be the origins of such a background in her repressed memory, but something like this could no less be created by one in a drug-induced state.

"Curious…" Emma mumbled, squeezing Wilbur's hand unintentionally. She pulled it away sheepishly.

"It's been such a long time, hasn't it, Alice?" Wilbur smiled sweetly. He pulled a watch out of his pocket, checking the time. His smiled faded. "It's getting so very late. We must get moving."

While she knew this was a dream, but Emma was still considerably tired, feeling the effects of maybe an hour or two of sleep taking a toll on her body. She looked about the forest, looking to the flowers they passed. As a child, she learned the different types of flowers, though she couldn't recall the name of a single one as they passed.

The sun seemed to be setting in this world, "Underland" or "Wonderland", whatever Wilbur had called it. Shadows snaked across the dirt path they were following. It was a fascinating pattern the shadows made as the setting sunlight fell through the leaves of the strange trees.

"I'm not sure how far we'll make it tonight. We're close to a few acquaintances of mine, but I'm not sure how they'd feel about guests at this hour…" Wilbur tapped his finger to his lips. "It's possible that the inn is open… But I'm not too sure. Just to stay for the night, of course. In the morning we have some business to take care of…"

Emma slouched her shoulders. Even in her dreams she couldn't escape any amount of work. She was doomed to an eternity of "business", wasn't she? But, on the other hand, she could wake up at any time, and even change the course of this dream. If her subconscious was in the least bit kind to her, maybe it would change the dream to benefit her tired mind.

"I'm sure we'd be fine at the inn. It's not a difficult walk. Do you mind, Alice? I'd hate to tire you." There was a quick flash of concern on his face before Emma shook her head.

Wilbur smiled with a nod.

The sun set quickly, much quicker than it did in reality, the forest becoming darker and darker as they continued. Where were they, anyway? It's considerably quiet, not a single sound about. No birds or crickets chirping away, or any breaks of twigs or rustling of leaves. The only sounds were of the dirt crunching beneath Wilbur's shoes and the wind occasionally sweeping through the leaves and petals of the surrounding foliage.

Thinking back to Wilbur's shoes, Emma realized that she was still in her bed clothes. She hadn't thought about that when she agree to wonder off with the rabbit from her closet. She didn't think about anything really. The compulsive decision to wander off was a bit of a ridiculous one, and if she had made this outside, in the "real world", she would have kicked herself for being such a naive girl. She usually wasn't so stupid.

"You aren't hungry, are you?" Wilbur asked, taking Emma out of her thoughts.

"Oh, no, I'm fine." She had said this so many times before that even if she were hungry she would have said it.

"The inn's only a little ways away, not much longer… Are you sure you don't remember any of this? You enjoyed this walk so much more when I took you the first time… Then again it was daylight. You asked so many questions. I couldn't answer very many of them-"

"When was the last time you saw me?" Emma hadn't even thought to ask before, even though he had mentioned seeing her before.

"Oh, you were a little girl!" Wilbur smiled. "A sweet thing really, not that you're not sweet anymore, but I had been on job and when I was returning down one of the rabbit holes, you followed me. I was a little concerned at first, as I was running late for a very important… Date, if you will."

Emma nodded, finding the story as realistic as her dream now. As a little girl she would have been far too timid to follow a strange man down a hole, or at least she thinks she would have. She didn't remember too much of her childhood, but from the stories she's always been told of her as a child, she would have never done such a thing.

"See that light down there a bit?" Wilbur was pointing down at a glowing shape down the path a bit. "That's the inn. We're going to stay there tonight."

Emma nodded, as they continued walking in silence.

The inn was a relatively large building, though it looked like it should have been a small cottage. The lights were bright and exceedingly loud music floated out from the open windows, along with what sounded to be awful drunken laughter as well.

"Before we go in, could you put your hood up?" Wilbur's tone was a little hushed.

Emma did, and Wilbur gave her a small smile. "I'm just a little concerned that they might be a little worried about my staying here with a stranger, and I'm not in the position for scandal. I'm going to go rent a room. Please stay here and keep your head down. Do not talk to anybody, okay?"

Emma nodded, a little annoyed with his treating her like a child.

Wilbur hurried inside and Emma was left to wait outside. She looked about the forest, trying to find anything that wasn't a tree or a flower. Not a single thing. Not even a fly buzzing about. Where on earth would anybody come from, anyway? The night was pitch black now, the only light was emitted from the inn for miles around.

She couldn't even consider another being approaching her until she heard a humming that seemed to drown out the obnoxious music. Emma looked about, towards the windows and to the forest, seeing not a soul about her.

"Alice… Alice…"

The voice was completely disembodied, calling her by 'Alice' once again.

"Who… Who's there? Tell me, where are you?" Then somebody wrapped their arms around her waist.

Startled, Emma jumped forward, turning to see who grabbed her.

Seeming to appear particle by particle, a beautiful woman with wild curly hair appeared. Within the mess of purple hair, a pair of blue pointed ears appeared that matched her bright yellow cat eyes. She put her hands of her wide hips, a fluffy blue tail swaying back and forth as large, unnatural smile spread on her lips, revealing two rows of pointed teeth.

"Oh Alice!" She said with a sing-song voice. "You're back!" There was a high level of what Emma detected of "sarcasm" in her voice.

"Who are you?" Emma questioned quickly, spite sprinkling her words.

"Who am I? Oh, you know me Alice. We had such a grand time you were here." She smiled even wider, her lips seeming to rip and tear as she did.

"I don't know you. Tell me who you are."

"Be careful, Alice. Our world has changed so much since you left. Not everybody has remained your friend through all this time. Don't trust anybody. I promise, it will only hurt you in the end." She shrugged.

"What do you mean? Tell me what you mean!"

But quickly, the woman began to fade again, and before Emma could say another word, she was gone, leaving the girl alone.

Wilbur came out a few moments later with a key in hand.

"What's wrong?" he asked when he saw the expression on Emma's face.

"I… Nothing… I'm okay."

"O-okay… Let's get to the room, yes?"

Emma nodded, desperate to know what on earth that cat girl meant.


	3. Chapter 3: Tweedledee and Tweedledum

The morning came far too quickly, and Emma was even more tired when Wilbur woke her. She opened her eyes to a bright open window she despised more than she did when she was awake.

How strange, sleeping within a dream, but all of this was strange. She was in a strange world, surrounded by strange things, following around a rabbit man who called her Alice.

She gave a half smirk as she sat up.

Wilbur was buttoning up a white shirt, and was surprised to see her sit up.

Unconsciously, Emma's eyes went straight to the scars that lined the exposed skin on his chest. Some were light with age, others dark, newly recovered ones. It was rude to stare, but she couldn't help it.

Color began to rise in his cheeks, and he turned his back to her. "I-I… I'm so, so sorry, Alice. I thought you w-were still asleep."

"N… No, I just woke. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He turned back around. "I got you something to wear… It belongs to the innkeeper's daughter. It might be a bit big, but it'll do." He motioned to a folded pile on a worn dresser.

"Oh, I, thank you…" Emma stood up, walking over to the dresser. It was a blue dress with fluffy petticoats. She felt her stomach bunch up. She'd worn dresses like this hundreds of times. Period costume after period costume she has been forced into and she was sick of them after five minutes. She would definitely dislike this one.

She hadn't even noticed that Wilbur was dressed in what also looked like a period costume. He had a tiny pair of glasses that sat on his nose, along with a frilly button down and a finely tailored bright red vest that contrasted so severely with his porcelain skin, not to mention his tousled white hair and those ears of his. She wondered if he had a tail, but that would be a bit forward to ask.

Wilbur was fixing his red tie when he said, "I'm going to leave the room for a few moments to give you a chance to change. Once you do, I'll be back in to help you with the ties, if you need it."

"Okay, thank you, but you don't have to leave." She had gotten used to lacking modesty around dressing before strangers. She had been costumed before men before. "It's not a bother, really."

"I'd prefer to stand outside." He stammered, blushing again. "Just knock on the door when you want me to come back in." He quickly stepped out before Emma could put a word in otherwise.

She sighed, pulling off her sweatshirt and the tee shirt she wore, looking at her body in the mirror at the rickety vaity at the edge of the bed. She could see her rib cage and her hip bones poked out of the top of her sweatpants. She was getting too skinny again. When she woke up again, to the real world at least, she would have to eat something to gain the weight she needed for the stupid part. She sighed, pulling down her sweatshirt. She grabbed the blue dress, pulling it over her head. It wasn't too bad, the length just above her knee, but she did need Wilbur to tie the back for her with the corset-like top.

"Wilbur…" She called, knocking lightly on the door. "Could you come back in please?"

She opened the door for Wilbur who slipped in quickly. He seemed a little on edge, something that made Emma a little uneasy.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, I… Nothing! Nothing's wrong." He gave her a little nervous chuckle. "Er, let me." He motioned to the dress.

Emma turned for him, looking at him through the mirror. She pulled her hair over her shoulder. He began to tighten the laces and the dress began to hug her torso. It did look pretty, no doubt, but she still didn't really want to wear anything very costume-y. And she was not going to wear those ridiculous petticoats.

"There." Wilbur smiled. "We've got to be heading out, Alice. I have a friend of mine that I hope you can stay with for the night while I get everything at my own home sorted out." His hands made his way to her hips, a little awkwardly. Emma gave him a bit of a look but he didn't notice. "I hope you won't mind my not staying with you tonight. I don't really want to leave you…" He put his chin on her shoulder.

His breath was on her neck, sending chills up her spine.

"Wilbur?"

He suddenly stiffened up, standing up straight and taking a step back. "I'm sorry! So sorry. Dear god, what has gotten into me. We have to get on. I'm sorry, Alice."

What an odd character, this Wilbur is… Emma was astounded by the depth of the character in her dream. He was considerably attractive, in his own sense. Obviously a strange version of a "dream" boy, she supposed, even though he was a rabbit. There was just something exceedingly… Strange about all of this. Especially him. The cat girl's words rang in her head, confusing her even further.

The forest was completely insane during the day.

Insects of all shapes and sizes passed by innocently, completely ignoring the citizens that lined the streets chatting among themselves.

They didn't turn to look at Emma or Wilbur, though. Not a single one.

"Where close to palace. When we get within the grounds, I need you to hold my hand, okay?" Wilbur said quickly, looking at his watch. "And do not look a single person in the eyes. Do not stop if you hear anybody call you by anything. Understand?"

Emma nodded, having trouble keeping up with him. She noticed tall brick walls ahead, which must be what surrounded the palace.

"You're going to stay with two acquaintances of mine; Hector and March. They're fine men, just a tad mad, if that is the term for it."

"Mad?"

"Yes."

"I don't want to be among mad people…"

Wilbur laughed. "Oh, my Alice…" he grabbed her hand. "I've really missed you."

Emma gave him a half smile, unsure of what he was laughing about. It was so odd to have him keep saying that.

They continued walking, hand and hand until the palace gates.

"Keep your head down. Don't look at the gate keepers and don't answer them if they say anything to you." Wilbur whispered as they walked to the kiosk in front. There were two people there, two short men who looked exactly alike.

"Wilbur!" one exclaimed.

"Where have you been?" asked the other.

"I've been on business. Open the gates, please." Wilbur replied in a flat tone.

The two laughed, and Emma made sure to focus on his feet as to not accidently look up. She didn't want to risk disobeying what Wilbur said, in fear of what the cat girl said. She needed Wilbur in this dream, otherwise she would get lost and this would turn into a nightmare very quickly.

"Who's this pretty doll?" One of the other men said.

"A real gem, she is." said the other.

"She's my… um… my…"

"Don't tell me!"

"She's your girl, isn't she?"

Wilbur's palm began to sweat. Emma could tell his nerves were rising. What was going on? This was such an odd dream! Where in her mind did this come from?

"Yes, and I really need to be getting home, could you please-"

"Oh, don't let us rain on your parade!"

"I just hope she can slip out of that dress in time for you!"

The two laughed and Wilbur stiffened up, squeezing Emma's hand a bit tighter.

There was a loud clanking noise, the sound of lock tumblers working together, and the gates began to open. Wilbur began to move again before Emma could really react.

She stole a glance at his face, which was completely red. He was easily embarrassed, wasn't he. Maybe he was strict gentleman? It made a considerable amount of sense.

A gentle rabbit man! Emma would have laughed if she wasn't in the situation she was.

They walked quickly, not a single person stopping them or a single word uttered near them. She wanted to look at the buildings the passed, and even the people, but she was forced to watch the cobblestone path at her feet, until they got to a building that Wilbur slowed down before.

"You can put your head up, now." she did. "Now, be careful of what you say here, okay, Alice? Hold your tongue. Hector was a bit forgiving the first time you two met, but I doubt he'd be as forgiving this time."

Emma nodded, looking at the building. It was a hat shop. Did shops like this still exist? What century did this dream take place in anyway? Maybe the 19th? It did look like what she had seen in the pictures in her classes… But she wasn't completely sure. She did keep quiet though, not sure that asking a question like that would make very much sense in a dream.

Wilbur held the door open for her and she enter, not prepared for what was inside this shop at all.


End file.
